BUSDEV 724 : Designing for Sustainability

Business and Economics

2024 Quarter Four (1248) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Addresses challenges in designing for sustainability, including lifetime and disposal costs, environmental and social impacts, compliance issues, and tensions between corporate responsibility and profit generation. Explores contemporary topics like eco-innovation, circular economy, and social enterprise.

Course Overview

BUSDEV 724 is part of the innovation and product management specialization within the Master of Business Development program.
Contemporary business innovation processes require developing a design thinking approach to adapt and respond to rapidly changing societal and ecological conditions. Moreover, an increased demand for eco-innovations from consumers and institutions has stimulated businesses to combine design thinking to sustainability-oriented strategies. Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy are two examples of these emerging design thinking based strategies.
During the next 10 weeks we will unpack together the building blocks of these strategies, we will look at how to design eco-effective products, how to identify key aspects of sustainable business models, and key business strategies. Particularly, this course will help you to understand sustainability as a set of guiding principles to design innovative products, processes and business models. The course is organized in two parts.
In the first part of the course, we use an interdisciplinary perspective to understand how different business models and practices contribute to define sustainability as a strategy for innovation and business development. In this part, we discuss and analyse the elements characterizing the current and dominant approaches to designing for sustainability firm a business development perspective. We introduce the design approach of Cradle to Cradle, and discuss its connection with eco-effectiveness, bio-mimicry, closed loop design and reverse logistics.
In the second part of the module we adopt a more system perspective and use the principles of circular economy to reflect on alternative designs of sustainable products, business models and systems. In so doing we explore new dimensions of design for sustainability adopting a system thinking approach, and discussing how to transition into circular business models. This part of the course introduces learners to topics such as (i) principles of circular economy; (ii) industrial symbiosis and close loop management; (iii) strategic and institutional elements for designing circular business models; (iii) drivers for facilitating transitions into circular economy.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify and explain the key challenges, of designing sustainable products, organizations and systems. (Capability 3, 5.1, 5.2 and 6)
  2. Explain and communicate key notions and concepts related to corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, circular business models, and eco-innovation processes and practices. (Capability 2, 5.2 and 6)
  3. Evaluate and analyse the drivers and rationale for eco-innovation and social enterprise and circular business models and evaluate their role and relevance in current and future business contexts (Capability 2, 3 and 6)
  4. Apply knowledge, theory and frameworks to critically analyse real-world cases of sustainable products, eco-innovations and social enterprises to evaluate their effectiveness in meeting their unique objectives. (Capability 2, 3, 5.2 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignment 1: Bringing science in the boardroom brief 10% Individual Coursework
Assignment 2: Professional report 40% Individual Coursework
Assignment 3: Presentation 10% Individual Coursework
Assignment 4: Short answer quiz instructions 40% Individual Test
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Assignment 1: Bringing science in the boardroom brief
Assignment 2: Professional report
Assignment 3: Presentation
Assignment 4: Short answer quiz instructions

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.


Delivery Mode

Online

Attendance on campus is not required for any component of the course. 

Where possible, all study material will be available when the course begins. This course runs to the University's quarter timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Feedback from students indicated a good level of interest and engagement, as well as a general appreciation of the contents and structure of the course. Hence, feedback has been considered in relation to maintaining content and related assignments in the pedagogical cycle. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 09/09/2024 12:02 p.m.